After a brief pause, Carrie addressed her two aunts, saying, “Aunt Brenda, Aunt Amy, I have nowhere else to go right now, so I’ll stay here for dinner. Once my cousins return, I’ll have them join me. Please help me deal with the wolf dogs that Camryn raised. If we manage to take care of them, you’ll benefit too.”

“Alright, you can stay here for a bit. After you eat, wait until they finish work, and then they’ll head back with you,” responded her aunts. Relieved to hear that they wouldn’t be mistreated, the two aunts eagerly attended to Carrie.

“Carrie, what would you like for dinner? Just let me know, and I’ll go buy the groceries and cook it for you right away. But just a heads up, my cooking skills are only average, so please don’t be too critical,” one of them added.

Although the Newman family wasn’t as wealthy as it used to be, they were not poor either. The two aunts had never faced hardship or poverty in their lives. When they grew up, they chose husbands who were decent matches for the Newman family. While they weren’t rich or powerful, they had enough to eat and wear, along with a few small factories. In comparison to average families, they were considered well-off.

As a result, none of them were skilled in the kitchen since they had always employed a cook. They occasionally prepared meals, but their cooking was often just passable. Now that money was tight and they needed to be self-sufficient, the two aunts were responsible for preparing the family’s three meals a day, giving them the opportunity to improve their culinary skills.

They were well aware of Carrie’s discerning palate and worried that she might not adjust to the meals they prepared, which could lead to her frustration. Their niece Carrie, from her mother’s side, was known to be quite willful and demanding. However, their brother and sister-in-law adored her, which meant that the aunts felt compelled to keep her happy. They had always sought to please Carrie, and given the current situation, it was even more crucial now that both families were relying on her.

to reclaim everything belonging to the Newman family from Camryn so that both families could make a comeback. Their eldest brother received a sentence of over ten years, while the eldest sister-in-law was given a suspended death sentence. Carrie, who was only in her early twenties, had a nephew still in college, and both her nephew and niece were easy to manage. Eventually, Carrie hoped that they could all return to work at Newman’s Enterprise. They needed to ensure that Newman’s Enterprise remained firmly in their hands to prevent Camryn, a blind woman, from driving them out again as she had done before. Carrie expressed, “Aunt Brenda, Aunt Amy, I am no longer the same Carrie I used to be. Do you think I’m better off than you? Can I eat as much as I used to? I won’t complain if I can eat now.” Upon her arrival, she struggled with eating and often felt hungry. When hunger struck, she would eat, gradually getting used to it. At her worst, she even fantasized about consuming Camryn’s flesh. If it hadn’t been for Camryn, the blind woman, she wouldn’t have ended up in this situation. Brenda sympathetically said, “Carrie, you’ve endured so much. Now that you’re out, let’s be more cautious in the future to avoid getting caught and sent back in.” Amy sighed in agreement. Had their eldest brother not been incarcerated, they wouldn’t have ended up in this predicament.

When their family had no support, they struggled with their husbands’ families. Fortunately, their children had grown up; otherwise, they would have been cast out for causing trouble for the Chandler and Joyner families. Reflecting on their husbands’ families’ attitudes towards them, Brenda and Amy felt a sense of resentment. In the past,

Both families had greatly benefited from the influence of their natal families; however, now that the heads of their natal families have changed, they can no longer reap those benefits, and the husband’s family is placing blame on them. Fortunately, Carrie emerged as a contender. These women were married or daughters who had been married for decades. When they returned to compete for the Newman family’s property, they found themselves unable to compete with Camryn. But Carrie had the potential to do so.